The Secret in the Café
by Charlee B
Summary: Brennan works on the bones of a young boy, which leads to many more murders. Meanwhile Brennan is tormented by a secret she discovers during lunch, with surprising results. Plenty of BB fluff, a little Hodgins and Angela fluff.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Dr. Temperance Brennan looked down at the remains on the table in front of her. She had been working on these bones since her partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI, had called her at eleven o'clock last night.

He had quickly informed her of the situation: A janitor of an apartment building found the remains in the dumpster while taking out the trash. He called the cops and when they arrived they found a Columbian passport of a woman named Juanita Montez. The catch was that the body belonged to a young boy, around 8 to 11 years of age.

Brennan had been trying to figure out who the young boy was and how he died. Booth said he have someone send over some missing persons files and said he would come by later.

It was now one-thirty in the afternoon and Tempe hadn't eaten since last night. She decided she would eat when she had IDed the body.

"Dr. Brennan, how long have you been working?" said Zach Addy, Brennan's assistant, making Tempe nearly jump out of her skin.

"A while," replied Brennan. "Since last night."

"You should go and eat something," suggested her assistant. "If Dr. Hodgins or Angela or I need anything, we'll call."

Before she could argue, Zach had already started with the bones.

Brennan couldn't take it anymore. She had been sitting at a table at the Press Café and waiting for half an hour now for her sandwich. She was frustrated. How could it take half an hour for a freakin' sandwich? As she stared outside, she thought of something Booth had said a couple of weeks ago.

"_Next time you miss me, call me. We'll do lunch." _

Brennan had contemplated the idea, but didn't want to bother him. Besides, he had said something about having lunch with his girlfriend Tessa, or Sexy Lawyer, as Angela called her. Her thoughts were cut short by the arrival of her food. Famished, she quickly started eating. Suddenly, she nearly chocked on her food when she saw, in at corner table, Booth's girlfriend in a passionate lip lock with another man.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

She couldn't believe it. Her first instinct was to call Booth and tell him the whole story. But she decided to call Angela instead.

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Angela Montenegro was busy reconstructing the face of the boy they found when her cell phone rang. She ran to get it and saw that it was Brennan. She was supposed to be on lunch break. She was probably calling for updates on the skeleton. Could that woman ever take a break?

"Hey, sweetie. Aren't you supposed to be relaxing, like a normal person?" Angela said as she picked her phone.

"Ange, you will not believe what I saw," said Brennan, sounding flabbergasted.

Angela listened to Tempe's every word. She the asked if Booth and Tessa were still together, and Brennan said Booth had told her that he was having lunch with Tessa. Brennan said that she was coming back to work and hung up.

Honestly, Angela thought Brennan would be relieved that there was a chance that Booth and Tessa would break up. She knew deep down inside of her, Brennan really liked Booth, as more than "partners". She hoped Tempe would realize it soon.

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On her way back to the lab, Tempe had a lot to think about. _Maybe I should tell Booth, _she thought_. Tessa doesn't deserve him. He's too kind and sweet and…_She quickly brushed those thoughts away. After all, Booth only saw her as his "squint" partner. Nothing else…N_othing else,_ she sadly thought.

She arrived at the lab and quickly got to work. She avoided all of Angela's questions about what Brennan should do about Booth. Zack and Hodgins had gotten a time of death: two weeks ago. Angela was working on the facial reconstruction.

At four o'clock, Booth came in with an ID for the boy. The picture matched the face Angela had made. The boy's name was Jeremy Adams, he was 10 years old. He went missing on his way to a friend's house 2 weeks ago.

The passport belonged to a woman who lived down the street who's her son was a friend of Jeremy's. She had lost it and had put up a reward of 50$ for the person who found it. Mrs. Adams had told Booth that Jeremy had found it and was going to return it when he disappeared.

"Hey Bones, I'm going to talk to Juanita Montez. You want to come?" Booth said.

"Sure," Brennan replied, getting up from her chair and reaching for her coat.

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During the car ride, Brennan didn't say much. She badly wanted to tell Booth about everything she had seen. _But there's no guarantee that he'll break up with Tessa, _she said to herself. But why should she care anyway? All these emotions were starting to scare her.

Booth, noticing Brennan's unusual silence, asked, "What's the matter, Bones?"

"Nothing…why do you ask?" she smoothly replied, trying hard to hide a lying expression.

"I don't, you're just very quiet," Booth said, with a concerned look on his face.

"Well, it's just…," She was about to spill her guts, but she could bring apon herself to hurt a good person. "It's just so hard when it's a kid. I've always tried to disconnect myself from the victim, but I just can't this time. My gut tells me there's something wrong."

_That's not the only thing my gut's telling me is wrong, _she thought, as she stared in to Booth heart-melting gaze…

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When they arrived at the Montez residence, Ms. Montez was the only one home, which was good for privacy. She warmly let them in and led them into the living room. It was beautifully decorated with a Victorian feel. Brennan noticed a lot of pictures of a young boy, quickly assuming it was her son.

"Miss Montez, we're terribly sorry to bother you, but we need to talk to you," Booth kindly said.

"What ever about?" she said, in a slightly accented English. "You don't thing I'm illegal, do you? I have a green card, I can even show you-"

"No, no, Miss Montez. It's not about that. I am fully aware that you are an official American citizen. We're here to ask you about Jeremy Adams," Booth assured her.

Ms Montez's expression quickly changed from pleasant to horrified.

"I'm sorry, I can not help you," she said as she quickly got up. "Now please leave my house, now!"

"But Miss Montez-" Brennan began.

"GET OUT! NOW!" yelled Ms Montez.

Booth and Brennan quickly left and got in Booth's car, with several questions coming to mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three 

"What do you think she's hiding?" Booth said aloud, about five minutes into the drive back to the lab.

"What?" Brennan stupidly replied, her train of thought cut short.

"Juanita Montez. She wanted us out of there in a hurry. Who do you think she's covering for?" Booth asked.

"What gives you the idea that she covering for anyone but herself?" Brennan inquired.

"Just a gut feeling. I don't think she killed Jeremy. There's no motive. She seemed scared when I asked her about him. Maybe someone wants her to keep her mouth shut about something she saw," Booth explained.

"Or maybe she killed the victim because he new something he shouldn't have known," said Brennan.

"I still think she's covering for someone. They could have threatened her son. She seems to love him a lot. I know I'd do anything to keep Parker safe," answered Booth. The rest of the car ride was silent.

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After dropping Brennan back at the Jeffersonian, Booth headed back to the FBI head office. On his way there, his thoughts were in a rolling rampage. _What isn't Bones telling me? What isn't Ms Montez telling me? Why won't Bones trust me with whatever is bothering her? I need to know, _he thought. _I want to be able to help her…she means everything to me…_

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"You can't pretend like you didn't see anything," Angela inquired, now that Brennan was back at the lab. "He deserves to know his girlfriend is a lying, cheating slut."

"If you think it is so important, I suggest you tell him then," Brennan retorted.

"Don't drag me into this, Bren. It's your responsibility to tell him. He's _your_ partner," said Angela.

"Just drop it, okay, Ange?" Brennan said as she grabbed her coat and bag and stormed out her office.

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Brennan got out of her car, went up to the house and rang the doorbell. _Come on, _she thought. _Please be home. _

She suddenly heard a rattling and the door opened. A young boy was standing in the doorway.

"Hello, there. Is your Mommy home?" Brennan kindly asked.

The boy nodded and yelled, "Mama!"

Ms Montez came to the door and her expression changed when she saw Brennan.

"I told you before. I don't know anything. Now please leave," she said as she closed the door, but Tempe's hand blocked it.

"Please, Ms Montez. If they threatened to hurt your son, the FBI can protect you both. You have to do the right thing, know matter what the consequences," Brennan pleaded. _Maybe I should take my own advice…,_ she thought.

"I want to help you, but I can't," Juanita said, with a petrified look on her face. She leaned closer toward Brennan and said, "They have eyes everywhere…they'll find us…dio mio…they'll hurt mi amor…Carlos…If I tell you what they've done, they'll kill me and Carlos!" And before Brennan could say another word, Juanita closed the door.

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"You did WHAT?" said Booth, infuriated by what Tempe had just told him. "You're not a cop! You have no authority! What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I should trust you and see what was really going on," Brennan replied, a little hurt by his lack of trust.

"Oh…," he said apologetically. "Sorry. At least we have a lead. Do we know how he died?"

Tempe was about to answer his question when her cell phone rang. It was Zack at the lab.

"Hello, Dr Brennan. We have a cause of death," Zack said as Brennan answered the phone.

She covered it with her hand and said to Booth, "It's Zack, he's got a cause of death."

"The victim suffered from two gun shots to the chest," Zack said. Brennan then repeated this information to Booth.

"Thanks, Zack. Good work," said Brennan before hanging up.

"You should go home and sleep, Bones," said Booth. "We'll go see Ms Montez in the morning."

She turned toward the door and was about to leave when, "Wait Booth… there's something I need to tell you."

"What's wrong?" Booth said, concerned and relived that she was finally trusting him.

"It's…well…," she began. "Can we take my car tomorrow?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

Of all the stupid lies she could have said, Brennan decided to say that one. She knew she had to tell him. Very deep down inside her, she hoped if he knew he would break up with Tessa and be with her. Tempe was tired of denying her feeling for her partner. Though she couldn't admit them to him, she had to at least admit them to herself.

She kicked of her shoes and lied down on her bed. How could he not see what Tessa was doing to him? And why would anyone want to hurt Booth? He was the last person on earth to deserve something like that. He had risked his life when Special Agent Jamie Kenton had taken her to that warehouse and had almost killed her. Booth had saved her from that monster.

Oh, it's okay. I'm right here. It's all over. Okay. Shh. I'm right here, alright. It's all over.

His words of comfort still echoed in her mind. Maybe he did truly care for her as she did for him. _I can only hope…_

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Booth arrived at Tempe's place at nine o'clock with two coffees and two blueberry muffins. He ate and drank as she drove. There was complete silence the whole drive. When they arrived at Ms Montez's house, they noticed Juanita's car in the driveway, which was a good sign. Booth rang the doorbell. Nothing. He rang it again. Still nothing. He rang it several times before he burst into the house, Brennan right behind him. The living room was empty. So was the kitchen and the bathroom. But Carlos' room was not.

What Brennan saw was horrifying. Juanita Montez was on the floor, several stab wounds in her chest, lying in a pool of her own blood. A couple of feet away was her son, his hand cut off and deep gashes all over his little body. Brennan couldn't bear to look.

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Ten minutes later, backup had arrived. They searched the entire house and found that the back door was open. Booth talked to the neighbours, who said they saw three Latino males enter through the back door. It was not the first time that had happened. They did not hear any noises coming from the house.

Brennan was outside. She couldn't bear staying inside. She knew this was all her fault. If she hadn't gone to see Juanita again, her and her son would still be alive. The coroner had come and taken the bodies to the morgue.

"Hey, Bones. You want me to take you back to the lab?" Booth said as he came over to see her.

She nodded and got in her car. He followed to the passenger's side. Neither of them said a word the whole ride.

Once at the lab, Booth walked her to her office.

"I'm gonna take a cab back to your place and get my car. You need anything?" Booth said, with a compassionate gaze. Tempe shook her head. Booth was taken by surprise when Brennan suddenly collapsed in his arms and began crying.

"It's all my fault," Brennan sobbed. "If I hadn't…they would still be…"

"It's okay…it's not your fault," Booth said. For what could have minutes, maybe even hours, Booth just stood there, holding her in his arms.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The rest of the day was a blur. Booth took Tempe home and she slept till morning.

The next morning, Brennan went to the lab early. She felt better than yesterday, but she was still somewhat guilt-ridden.

Booth was there when she arrived. "Hey Bones. You feeling better?" he kindly said.

"Yes, thank you. I slept quite a bit," she replied.

"Well, last night I did some research and found some interesting information on Carlos Montez's father. According to Carlos' birth certificate, his father's name is John Vernon, but when I went to get some information on Vernon, I found this," Booth explained, as he held out a sheet of paper.

Neatly typed across the top were the words "Death certificate". Underneath was his name, date of birth: July 16th 1910 and a date of death: May 14th, 1942.

"So who's the father then?" asked Brennan.

"I guess we're gonna have to call Maury for this one," said Booth, smirking.

"I don't know what that means," replied Brennan, with her typical confused face, which was often seen when a pop culture reference was made.

"I forgot you don't have a TV. Never mind. We'll have to do a DNA test, won't we?" Booth said.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

Booth brought Carlos' body to a special lab where they do DNA tests and was told they would have results within three or four days.

In the meantime, Booth would have to gather evidence to prove that Jeremy Adams' murder and the Montez's murder were connected, which made for great conversation at the Jeffersonian.

"It's obvious that these people are covering their tracks. But who are they?" asked Booth.

"I bet it's all part of a government conspiracy," said Hodgins. "They always have something to cover up. Maybe Carlos is the illegitimate child of some high-ranking politician. It would make sense."

"Why does everything have to be a conspiracy with you?" said Angela. "Can't you believe that maybe Juanita Montez didn't know who the father of her child was?"

"Knowing who the father is may be the missing piece of the puzzle," inquired Brennan. "The father may be in league with the gang that killed our victims."

"So you think we got some kind of gang war on our hands?" asked Booth.

"It would make sense. Gangs tend to cover up their tracks, right?" said Brennan.

"It could be a mobster conspira-," said Hodgins, before Angela cut him off by raising her hand.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two hours later, Brennan was writing up some reports when Booth walked in.

"Look, Bones," Booth began. "I'm gonna get right to it. I know you know something. You need to know that you can trust me and that you have my word that it will remain a secret. Please tell me what's wrong. Please…"

She had to tell him now. He wouldn't let it go unless she did. Plus, he deserved to know the truth.

"Tessascheatingonyou," Brennan muttered.

"What?" Booth asked. "I didn't quite catch that."

"It's just…umm…," she began. "Tessa is cheating on you."

"What?" Booth said, his eyes now the size of tennis balls. "Really? What makes you so sure?"

"I saw her shove her tongue down another man's throat at lunch two days ago!" Brennan said loudly.

"That's not possible," Booth argued. "She told she couldn't make lunch. She wouldn't lie. She loves me."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Brennan said.

"Maybe your just jealous," Booth said angrily.

"WHAT?" Brennan yelled. "I can't believe this! I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want your feelings to get hurt and now your saying I'm a liar? What is wrong with you?"

Brennan grabbed her bag and headed toward the door, but was blocked by Booth grabbing her arm. She turned around, grabbed his arm, flipped him over her shoulder and he hit the ground with a loud thud.

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Angela was talking with Zack and Hodgins when she saw Brennan storm out of her

office, moments after Booth had walked in. She quickly caught up to her best friend, who had an extremely angry expression apon her face.

"Hey sweetie," Angela gently said. "What's wrong?"

"I just told Booth about what Tessa did and he didn't believe me!" said Brennan angrily. "I'm his partner, for god's sake! I trust him! Why doesn't he trust me?"

Then Brennan stormed out the door.

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Hodgins knew something was on her mind. Since she had spoken to Brennan the day before, she seemed distant. He wanted to know what was wrong. He needed to know what was wrong.

"Hey Ange," Hodgins quietly said. "How are you?"

"Fine. Great. Super," Angela sadly said. But as she looked into his deep blue eyes, she knew she couldn't lie. "Actually, I'm not that good."

"Really?" Hodgins said. "Well…if you wanna talk about it…"

"It's just two days ago, Brennan called me from her lunch break and told me she saw Booth's girlfriend, Tessa, making out with some guy," Angela began. "I told her to tell him, and of course she didn't listen to me, and then yesterday she finally caved in and told him. But he didn't believe her. And now she's all pissed off at him. I want to interfere and talk to Booth, but I'm afraid I'll just make things worse."

"You want my opinion?" asked Hodgins.

"That's the point," Angela replied.

"I don't think you'll make things worse," Hodgins said. "I don't think you're even physically capable of making anything worse. You're the kind of person who can make anyone feel good about themselves. You helped Amy Cullen, remember? You have a natural gift at saying the right thing. Plus you know Dr. Brennan better than she knows herself sometimes. You know she has feelings for booth and that he has feelings for her. Of course, anyone with eyes and ears knows that," he said with his charming smile, making Angela smile herself. "I know you'll say just the right thing."

"Thanks, Hodgins," Angela said, blushing slightly, as she left the room.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Booth arrived at the Jeffersonian at twelve-thirty, with the DNA test results in hand. Tempe was nowhere to be seen, which relieved him, because he was in no mood to argue with her. Dr. Goodman and Zack acknowledged his arrival by coming over to see him.

"I have our DNA test results," Booth said, waving the folder in the air.

"Excellent," said Dr. Goodman, smiling. "Dr. Brennan should be here shortly, and you to can get to business."

As of on cue, Brennan walked through the doors. Seeing Booth, she had half a mind to turn around and go home. _This is crazy,_ she thought. _I work here. I'm not going to let him intimidate me out of my own workplace! _

"Dr. Brennan," Dr. Goodman said. "Agent Booth has the DNA results from Carlos Montez."

"Good," Brennan replied. "Well, _Agent_ Booth, who is the victim's father?"

"Well, _Dr. Brennan_," Booth said sarcastically. "Carlos' father's name is Collin Valdez. I took the liberty of getting some information on him, and guess what? He died eight years ago, on March 13th, in Mexico. Which was three weeks before Juanita Montez became an official American citizen. Plus, he has quite a hefty criminal record. He spent 3 years in prison for possession of crystal meth and cocaine. He also was charged with grand theft auto, but the charges fell through."

Just then Booth's cell phone rang. He flipped it open and said, "Booth. What? Right. We'll be right there."

Booth closed his phone and put it back in his pocket. "I couple of kids just found a half decomposed skeleton in an alley. Near Jeremy Adams and the Montez's houses. Come on,

Bon-, I mean Dr. Brennan, we have to go."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

When the pair arrived at the scene, it was already swarming with cops, passers-by and press. A cop at the scene, Lieutenant George Konidas, explained the situation in great detail.

Two teenage girls, Amanda Coletta and Bianca Lallitto, were walking to the bus station when the noticed an awful smell. They went to see where it was coming from and they discovered the body. They ran to a pay phone and called the police. The police got there, taped of the scene and within ten minutes, the place was crawling with reporters, photographers and news cameras.

Lt. Konidas showed them to the body and Brennan got to work. "The victim was female, between 17 and 22, of African descent," Tempe said to Lt. Konidas five minutes later. "Pack up the remains and have them sent to my lab. Be very careful. Be sure to take the blood sample on these walls."

Lt. Konidas told some workers to pack up the bones and left.

"I'm willing to bet this murder is connected to the others," Booth said as they walked back towards the SUV.

"You shouldn't be betting," Brennan snapped. "These are people's lives we're talking about here, Agent Booth."

"It's a figure of speech, Dr. Brennan," Booth retorted.

"I still disagree. There's still know evidence that the other murders are connected anyway."

"Come on. Jeremy Adams lived half a block away from here. So did Juanita and Carlos Montez. My gut tells me it's all connected."

"Look, Booth. Gut feelings don't mean anything. We have to have facts. Evidence. Without that, we have nothing," Brennan said angrily, got in the car, and didn't say a word the whole car ride.

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The next day, Brennan and Zack had got a cause of death: three gun shots to the chest. Hodgins had taken what was left of the organs and had run tests. And Angela was going to give Booth a piece of her mind. He arrived ten minutes after she did.

"Hey, Ange. What's u-" he began before he was cut of when the palm of Angela's hand connected with his cheek, with a very loud CLACK!

"Listen to me and listen carefully, Seeley Booth. You are possibly the most insensitive jerk I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. You really hurt Brennan's feelings, and as her best friend, I am obligated to interfere," Angela said.

"So that requires slapping me?" Booth asked. He quickly regretted it when Angela slapped him again.

"Don't interrupt me," she angrily said. "Don't you get it? Brennan is mad not only because you don't believe her, but that you won't break up with Tessa."

"Permission to speak without getting slapped," Booth said, and Angela nodded in approval. "Why would she care if I was with Tessa or not? Unless…but…me? Her?"

"Yes, you buffoon. And don't tell me you don't feel the same way. Think about it. You risked your life to save her even after you got blown up, remember? And you went all the way to New Orleans when she got attacked. And you were so jealous when she started seeing David. Think about it for a second."

Booth stood there, reminiscing about the past year, since he met Dr. Temperance Brennan. Angela was right. He couldn't deny it any more.

His thoughts were interrupted when Hodgins walked in with a file folder in his hand.

"I've got some news," said Hodgins. "Our victim's toxin level was very high. She was seriously stoned on cocaine and crystal meth. And this you won't believe. I ran some test on the blood samples and I found blood from two different people. And guess who was the second person," Hodgins said. "Pausing for dramatic effect…Jeremy Adams."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six 

"What?" Booth said, shocked.

"Yup," Hodgins nodded. "Which means-"

"If Collin Valdez was a drug dealer," Booth interrupted. "Which would explain the huge amount of cocaine and meth found on him when he was arrested a couple of years back, and our victim here was a druggie, and we found blood from Jeremy Adams where she was found, and Jeremy knew the Montez's, that means it's all connected."

"Exactly," Hodgins said, rolling his eyes.

"But we still have no way of figuring out who these guys are and what they want."

"We'll just have to wait until we have more evidence," said Brennan as she entered the room.

"I have an-" Hodgins began.

"We can't just sit on our asses till someone else is murdered," Booth argued.

"Well I might know-"

"Evidence will show up, Booth. We can't just go around on wild goose chases around D.C, either," Brennan retorted.

"But I have-"

"These people are drug dealers. They have no mercy. If they don't get what they want-" Booth said before he was interrupted by a loud whistling, which came from Angela.

"Will you two stop bickering for a minute and listen to what Jack has to say?" Angela said loudly.

"Thank you, Ange," Hodgins said gratefully. "I have an idea. They're drug dealers, right?"

"There's no evidence of-" Brennan said before Angela shut her up with a glare.

"So they're looking to sell their product. So all we—I mean Agent Booth—have to do is set up a sting. I'm assuming, due to the blood found, that the location where our most recent victim was found is where they rendezvous. We—I mean Agent Booth, once again— will pretend to be an interested buyer and get some information."

"Wow, Hodgins, you watch way to many cop movies," Booth said. "But that's a good idea. But first, let's ID the victim."

"I'll go make a cranial reconstruction," said Angela, and then walked away.

"I'll try to find some dental records," Zack offered.

"Now we're talking," Booth said, grinning.

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A half an hour later, they had and ID for victim #4: Danielle Harper, nineteen years of age. She had been arrested for possession in 2002. Her parents had sent her to rehab in 2003 for 15 months, but 3 weeks after she had been released, she had been caught with cocaine and crystal meth.

"I'm going to talk to Danielle's parents, you wanna come, Bones?" Booth asked.

"Don't call me Bones," said Brennan angrily.

"I'll take that as a yes," Booth said.

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"Hey Bones, I need to talk to you about something," Booth said, on their way to the Harper residence.

"Don't call me Bones!" Brennan yelled. "Look Booth, let's just concentrate on the case, okay?"

Ten minutes later, they were at 1365 Burrows St. Booth flashed his badge and Mrs. Harper welcomed them graciously into her home.

"Mrs. Harper, we're terribly sorry for your loss," Booth said solemnly. "But may I ask a few questions about your daughter's drug problem?"

"I don't know much," Mrs. Harper said. "You should ask her brother, Robert. He was very helpful, he's the one who suggested rehab."

"Where can we find him?" Booth asked politely.

"Robert!" Mrs. Harper yelled.

A boy, about seventeen, with dark cornrows and blue eyes, came flying down the stairs. He wore a dark red t-shirt and very large black jeans.

"What's up, Ma?" the boy asked, as he sat down on the couch.

"These people are with the police. They're trying to find out who killed Danielle," Mrs. Harper said.

"Robert, can we ask you some questions about your sister?" Booth asked the boy.

"Sure. I want to help as much as I can. I loved my big sis," Robert said sadly.

"I'll give you some privacy," Mrs. Harper said as she left the room.

"What do you know about your sister's drug…um…suppliers?" Booth asked.

"Well," said Robert. "It's not something I'm proud of…but…I met them once."

"Really?" Booth said. "Why?"

"Danielle needed some...stuff," Robert said. "I told her I wasn't going to get it for her, but…but…she had a gun. She said she was going to kill herself unless she had some."

"Where did you meet them?" Booth asked and leaned in towards the teen.

"In an alley, on Birthway Avenue," Robert replied.

"That's where we found the body," Booth whispered to Brennan.

"Could you come with us back to the Jeffersonian?" Booth asked. "We have someone there to whom you can describe the people you got the drugs from. From there, we can ID them."

"Do you think they killed Danielle?" Robert asked. "Why?"

"We'll explain everything on the way," Booth said.

"We will?" Brennan asked, not sure if they should tell the boy about the other murders.

"Yes, we will," Booth said.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter seven 

"So what do I have to say, exactly?" Robert asked Angela. On the way to the Jeffersonian, Booth had told Robert about Jeremy Adams, the Montez's and the blood found near his sister's body.

"Just describe to me what the drug dealers looked like, okay sweetie?" Angela kindly said.

"There were two of them…," Robert began. "One of them was really tall, probably not much older than me. He was black and he had a real big hair. The other one…" He went on for ten minutes, describing as much detail as he could until Angela had enough to make to whole people. Then she brought her sketched to Booth and Brennan.

"This is great, Ange. Thanks Robert. Can I give you a lift home before I head back to the office to run these through our records?" Booth said.

"Thanks," Robert said, and he and Booth left. As he reached the door, Booth turned around and said, "Hey, Temperance, I still need to talk to you." Then he disappeared out the door.

"What was that about?" asked Angela, eyebrows raised.

"Nothing," Brennan said. "I'm not quite sure. Booth wants to talk to me. But I'm really not interested in what he has to say right now."

"What if he's going to apologize?" Angela asked. "You should give him chance."

"Look, Ange," Brennan angrily. "He really hurt my feelings. Will you please just drop it, okay?"

"Fine," Angela said as she walked away.

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That night, Booth knew what he had to do. He pulled up to Tessa's apartment building, unsure what he would say to her. He was going to have to wing it.

As he waited in the elevator, he pondered about the case. The two thugs Robert had described were John Hubbard and Remy Jenkins. They had spent some time in prison in 2004 for possession. They were being tracked down at that very moment, and Booth was going to pay them a visit in the morning.

Booth exited the elevator and walked toward Tessa's apartment. He knocked once. No answer. He dug in his pocket and pulled out his key, then unlocked the door. The apartment seemed empty, until he heard a noise coming from Tessa's bedroom. He quietly approached the door and slowly turned the knob. When he opened the door, he felt like an instant jerk for not believing Tempe. There, lying in the bed naked, was Tessa on top of some man.

"Seeley!" she said, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"Bones was right," Booth said. "We're done. Over. I'll leave you two alone." And he stomped out the door.

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The next day, Booth went to the lab bright and early, hoping to get Brennan alone, but no such luck.

Suddenly, Booth's cell phone rang. "Booth," he said as he picked it up. "Really? That's fantastic. Bye."

"What's up, Booth?" Angela said, taking Booth by surprise.

"That was Cullen. He found our drug dealers. Once Bones gets here, we'll pay a little visit to our friends," Booth answered.

"Speaking of Bones," Angela said with her devilish smile. "Have you talked to her yet?"

"No," Booth said, sounding disappointed. "She won't talk to me. But I broke up with Tessa. Turns out Bones was right…"

"Do you really think she would lie to you?" Angela said.

"No, of course not," Booth said. "I don't even know why I said the things I said."

"Hey, I'm not the one who needs convincing," Angela said. "Speaking of which…" Her eyes wondered over toward the door.

Brennan walked in, followed by Zack. "Hey Bo-, Tempe," Booth began. "Cullen found our druggie friends. They live in an apartment ten minutes away. And guess what? They happen to live in the apartment building where Jeremy Adams was found. Let's go."

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Ten minutes later, Booth and Tempe were standing at the door of John Hubbard and Remy Jenkins' place.

"John Hubbard," Booth said. "Remy Jenkins? FBI. Open up."

"Can I have a gun?" Brennan asked.

"No," Booth said.

"Why not?"

"You've been ignoring me for several days now. You can't expect me to just hand you a gun."

"Fine. I forgive you. Can I have a gun now?"

"No," Booth said. And he busted down the door.

He pulled out his gun. They checked the back rooms. Nothing. Suddenly, Brennan felt a tug as someone put their arm around her neck. She felt someone press something against her temple.

Booth spun around to see Remy Jenkins standing behind Brennan, holding a gun to her head.

"Make one wrong move," Jenkins threatened. "And I'll blow her brains out. Now be a good boy and put down your gun."

Booth put his gun down on the ground. He suddenly saw John Hubbard coming up from behind Jenkins and hit him across the head with a pan. Jenkins dropped Brennan and fell to the floor, unconscious.

"I'm so sorry for all the things he did," Hubbard said. "I saw on the news all those murders, and I knew they were related to the boy we killed."

Booth picked up his gun and said, "Come with us."

-------------------------------------------------------------

"I had nothing to do with all those other murders. Just the boy," John Hubbard said. They were now at the FBI head office, in the interrogation room, an hour later. "Remy said we had to kill him. He saw one of our…umm…transactions. The boy said he'd tell his mom. So Remy…Remy shot him. Turns out a lady was walking by. It was Valdez's wife. Remy told her if she told the police he'd kill her son."

"What about Danielle Harper?" Booth asked.

"She was our best customer. But she hadn't paid up in awhile. Remy told me he would deal with her…I guess he did…"

"Did Remy tell you he had killed them all?" Booth asked.

"No, but I am just putting the pieces together. Am I gonna get arrested?"

"No. You didn't pull the trigger."

"But you gotta protect me. Remy getting put away is gonna upset a lot of people. They'll kill me!"

"We'll have you put in the Witness Protection Program," Booth said.

Suddenly, the door opened and a young man popped his head in. "Excuse me, Agent Booth, but I got the report from ballistics."

"Already?" Booth asked, surprised.

"Slow day," said the man, smiling. "The bullets in your victims all came from Remy Jenkins' gun."

"Thanks, Monroe. I guess we caught our killer."

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Five hours later, Remy had been released from the hospital and was in custody. All the bodies were returned to their families for a proper funeral. And Brennan was glad to be able to go home.

She stepped out of the Jeffersonian and into the pouring rain. She had not read the forecast report and had forgot to bring an umbrella.

Suddenly she heard a voice call out from behind her. "Bones! Bones! Wait!" she turned around to see Seeley Booth running toward her, out from the shelter of the Jeffersonian and in to the rain. She sped up. Tempe really didn't want to deal with him right now.

"Temperance!" he continued. "Please just give me a chance to explain myself!"

Brennan stopped. Maybe Angela was right. Maybe she should listen to what he had to say. Booth quickly caught up to her, soaked from head to toe.

"You've got five minutes," she said, crossing her arms.

"I'm so sorry for what I said," he began. "I know you would never lie. And as it turns out, you were right. I realized I said those things cause I somehow didn't care about Tessa. I broke up with her. Because don't love her. I love…someone else."

"Who? Who do you love?" Brennan said, not sure where he was going with all this.

She got her answer. Booth then put his hands on the sides of her face and pressed his lips against hers. It was a deep and passionate kiss. Suddenly, Brennan forgot about how wet she was, about all the murders. She had butterflies in the pit of her stomach, which quickly turned into a wave of heat, making her whole body tingle. She just stood there in the pouring rain, in his warm embrace. All her troubles vanished.


End file.
